Portable ironing board



July 17, 1962 F. s. COOK 3,044,197

PORTABLE IRONING BOARD Filed July 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4. l 3 F INVENTOR.

FRED S. C OOK ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,044,197 PORTABLE IRGNING BOARD Fred S. Cook, 216 E. 2nd St., Winnernucca, Nev. Filed .luly 29, 1960, Ser. No. 46,272 3 Claims. ((31. 38-115) This invention relates to ironing boards, and more particularly to an ironing board attachment which may be used in connection with an article of furniture having a drawer opening, for example, a kitchen cabinet, a desk, a dresser, or a dining room cabinet, so that the ironing board may be set up for use by merely removing a drawer from the article of furniture.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved ironing board attachment for use in a drawer opening, for example, in the drawer opening of a kitchen cabinet, the attachment being simple in construction, being easy to set up for use, and being adjustable to a very compact size so that it is convenient for transportation or storage.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ironing board attachment which is inexpensive to fabricate, which is durable in construction, and which may be mounted in a, drawer opening of an article of furniture without requiring the use of any tools.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved ironing board attachment according to the present invention, shown set up for use and mounted in the drawer opening of a kitchen cabinet.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the ironing board member and the supporting plate member associated therewith, forming part of the attachment of FIGURE 1, shown in superimposed relationship, as when the device is to be transported or stored.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings, the ironing board attachment is designated generally at 11 and comprises an elongated suitably shaped ironing board member 12 which is generally rectangular in shape at its rear portion and which is provided with the forwardly tapering side edge portions 13, 13 which merge at the rounded front edge 14. Designated at 15 is a supporting plate member which is disposed beneath the ironing board member 12 and which is slidably secured thereto by a pair of depending bolt members 16, 16 tudinally aligned, countersunk openings 17, 17 provided in the ironing board member 12 and through a longitudinally extending central slot 18 formed in the supporting plate member 15. Suit-able wing nutsnl9, 19 are provided on the bolts 16, 16 for clamping the supporting plate 15 to the underside of the ironing board member 12 either in the collapsed position of the device, shown in FIGURE 2, or in an extended position, such as that shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The supporting plate member 15 is substantially coextensive in width with the rear portion of the ironing board member 12 but is reduced in width at its forward portion, defining the shoulders 20, 20, whereby the forward portion of the supporting plate member 15 is substantially of less width than the forward portion of the ironing board member 12. The supporting plate memwhich extend through longiher 15 is substantially of the same length as the ironing board member 12, so that the two members may be superimposed in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2, whereby to define a relatively small unit which is convenient to store or transport.

The slot 18 is open at its forward end, so that if necessary, the ironing board member 12 may be detached from the supporting plate member 15.

Designated at 22 is a generally rectangular, horizontally elongated, rigid vertical vframe which may be made of aluminum or other suitable metal, the frame having the top and bottom arms 23 and 24 and the vertical side arms 25, 25. The frame member 22 is detaohably connected transversely to the underside of the rear por-tion of the supporting plate member 15 by a pair of wing screws 26, 26 extending through the top arm 23 and into countersunk openings 27 provided in the supporting plate member 15, being engaged with nuts 28 seated in the countersunk top portions of the openings 27. The nuts 28 are suitably secured in the openings 27 so as to be rigid therein, enabling the frame 22 to be secured to the underside of the plate member 15 by engaging the wing screws 26 through the openings in the top arm 23 of the frame and into the openings 27 so as to threadedly engage with the nuts 2-8. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3, the frame 22 may be fastened to the underside of the supporting plate member 15 so as to depend therefrom and to define therewith a supporting structure which may be inserted into a drawer opening 29 of an article of furniture, such as a kitchen cabinet 30. The opening 29 may be made available for use by removing a suitable drawer, such as the silver drawer of the kitchen cabinet 39.

It will be noted that the frame member 22 is secured to the rear portion of the supporting plate member 15 rearwardly adjacent the shoulders 2t 20, so that the major portion of the generally rectangular rear section of the supporting plate member 15 is insertable into the cabinet 30 through the drawer opening 29.

Tlhreadedly engaged through the mid portions of the side arms 25, 25 of frame member 22 are respective horizontal wing screws 32, 32 which are provided at their inner ends with the wing heads 33 and at their outer ends with the clamping feet 34, the clamping feet being of relatively large area and being adapted to clampingly engage with the vertical side edges 35 of the drawer opening 29 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Designated at 36 is a ring member which is vertically elongated and which is pivotally connected at its top end portion to the mid portion of the top arm 23 of frame, member 22, as by a vertical pivot pin 37. A vertical clamping screw 38 extends rotatably through the mid portion of the bottom arm 24 of frame member 22 and is threadedly engaged in the bottom end portion 33 of the vertically elongated ring 'member 36, as shown in FIGURE 6, the clamping screw 38 being provided at its bottom end with an enlarged foot member 40 similar to the enlarged foot members 34, 34, for clampingly engaging the bottom portion 41 of the drawer opening 29.

Threadedly engaged through the rear portion of the supporting plate member 15, for example, through a metal bushing 43 secured in said rear portion, is a vertical clamping screw 44 having the Wing head 45 at its bottom end and the enlarged bearing foot 46 at its top end.

The screw 44 is adapted to be adjusted to cause the clamping foot 46 thereof to clampingly engage with the top Wall 47 of the drawer space of the cabinet 39 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4, access to the wing element 45 being usually available from below the drawer space in the ordinary type of cabinet structure with which the device is intended to be employed. Where access to the wing head 45 is not available, the screw 44 may be suitablyv adjusted prior" to the insertion of the extended portion of supporting plate and the attached transversely extending frame member 22 into the drawer opening.

In setting up the attachment for use, the supporting plate 15 is first extended with respect to the ironing board 7 member 12 and clamped in, extended position by tightening the wing nuts 19, 19. The rigid frame 22 is then secured to the underside of the supporting plate member 15 by means of the wing screws 26. The extended portion of the device is then inserted into the drawer opening 29, and the horizontal side clamping screws 32, 32' are extended to tightly engage with the vertical side edges of the drawer opening, after which the turn wall member 47 of the drawer space, as above described.

As will be readily apparent, the attachment may be mounted with the top ironing board member 12 removed from the supporting plate member 15, which will greatly facilitate the securement of the supporting plate member 15 in the drawer opening. After the supporting plate member 15 has been firmly secured in the drawer opening, the top ironing board member 12 may be fastened to the protruding forward portion of the supporting plate member 15 by engaging the longitudinally aligned vertical bolts 16, 16 through the open-ended longitudinal slot 18 until the rear edge of the ironing board'member 12 is in abutment with the upper forward margin 50 of the drawer opening, as shown in FIGURE 4. The clamping nuts 19 may then be tightened to firmly securethe ironing board member 12 to the forwardly projecting portion of the supporting plate member 15. 7

While the last described procedure represents a preferred method of setting up the ironing board attachment for use, obviously, various other procedures may be employed in assembling the attachment and setting it up for use, depending upon the specific conditions under which the attachment is to be employed.

Under conditionswhere the device is employed'in a drawer opening of a width too great to allow the use of the side clamping screws 32, 32,the vertical wing screw 44 will usually provide suficient support to permit the ironing board attachment to be effectively used.

When the attachment is not in use, the ironing board member 12 and the supporting plate member 15 are secured in substantially superimposed relationship, as shown in FIGURE 2, the various other components of the device being contained in a suitable compartment which may be provided in a carrying bag employed for the device, so that the entire attachment can'be easily transported or stored.

The enlarged bearing feet of the various clamping screws may be provided with suitable deformable resilient facing portions 51, of rubber, or the like, to prevent marring or scratching of the furniture surfaces with which they are clampingly engaged.

While a specific embodiment of an mproved portable ironing board has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit oft the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

-1. In combination, an elongated ironing board, a plate member disposed beneath said board, means slidably securing said plate member to the underside of the board so that the plate member is extensible from one end of the board, a generally rectangular, horizontally elongated rigid vertical frame secured transversely to the underside of said plate member at the intermediate portion of the plate member and being engageable together with said plate member in a drawer opening, outwardly extensible horizontal abutment screws threadedly engaged in the sides of said frame, a vertical upwardly projecting abutment screw threadedly engaged through the rear end portion of said plate member rearwardly of said frame, and a depending vertical abutment member adjustably mounted in said frame and extending through the bottom thereof. a

2. In combination, an elongated ironing board, a plate member disposed beneath saidboard, said plate member being formed with a longitudinal slot, a plurality of spaced fastening members extending through said slot and adjustably. securing said plate member to the underside of the board so that the plate member is extensible from one end of the, board, a generally rectangular horizontally elongated rigid vertical frame secured transversely to the underside of said plate member at the intermediate portion of the plate member with said plate member in a drawer opening, outwardly extensible horizontal abutment screws threadedly engaged in the sides of said frame, a vertical upwardly projecting abutment screw threadedly engaged through the rear end portion of said plate member rearwardly of said frame, and a depending vertical abutment member adjustably mounted in said frame and extending through the bottom thereof.

3. -In combination, an elongated ironing board, a plate member disposed beneath said board, said plate member being formed with a longitudinal slot, aplurality of spaced fastening members extending through said slot and adjustably securing said plate member to the underside of the board so that the plate member is extensible from one end of the board, a generally rectangular, horizontally elongated rigid vertical frame secured transversely to the underside of said plate member at the intermediate portion of the plate member with said plate member in a drawer opening, outwardly extensible horizontal abutment screws threadedly engaged in the sides of said frame, a vertical upwardly projecting abutment screw threadedly engaged through an end portion of said plate member rearwardly of the frame, a ring-like member in the intermediate portion of said frame, means pivotally connecting the top of said ring-like member to the top of said frame, and a depending vertical abutment screw extending through the bottom of the frame and threadedly engaged in the bottom of said ring-like member.

References Cited in the file of this patent Silverthorne -Q. Dec. 13, 1960 

